It is known in the prior art that wristwatches are fixed to the user's wrist via a leather or rubber strap or metal bracelet, said strap or bracelet being formed of two strands. The watch case thus includes two pairs of horns diametrically opposite each other. The two strands of the strap or bracelet are then fixed to the watch case via the two pairs of horns. The two strap or bracelet strands are secured to each other by a clasp enabling the wristwatch to be attached to the user's wrist.
One drawback of this type of strap or bracelet is the lack of freedom to adjust the length thereof. Indeed, metal bracelets are formed of links which are removed or added to adjust the length of said bracelet. Since the links have a fixed size, adjustment to the exact dimension of the wrist is not always possible. As regards leather or rubber straps, these are pierced with holes so that a tongue can slide therein. The number of holes is limited if one wishes to avoid making the strap fragile. Indeed, too many holes would mean a small space between each hole and thus greater fragility of the strap in this respect. If the space between two holes breaks, the holes become unusable. No means exist for finely adjusting the length of the bracelet or strap, which can be inconvenient for the user.
Another drawback of these bracelets and straps is that their length cannot be adjusted in accordance with the environment and particularly in accordance with the temperature. It has been shown that the physiognomy of a person's body can vary depending upon the environment in which the person is situated. One of the environmental elements that has an effect on the human physiognomy is temperature. Thus, a person's limbs tend to contract when the person feels cold and, conversely, said person's limbs tend to expand when he or she feels hot. Consequently, the wearer's wrist expands or contracts with temperature, which means that the diameter of the wrist varies with temperature. Although with a leather or rubber strap, it is possible to tighten or loosen the strap, this is not the case with a metal bracelet. The size of the bracelet cannot therefore be adjusted with temperature.
Thus, the user finds him or herself with a bracelet, which, at the ambient temperature fits the user's wrist, but which will be too long when the user is cold and too short when the user is hot, thus causing inconvenience.